Notably, more than half of the online retailers that Digital Commerce 360 surveyed intend to spend more on technology in 2024. In the current inflationary environment, higher costs should not come as a surprise. However, costs are also under pressure — and there are clear technology- and objective-driven concerns taking precedence.

Online retailers expect to spend more on tech in 2024

In the report’s survey of online merchants, Digital Commerce 360 asked participants directly about emerging technologies. While more than half of respondents had no plans to invest in virtual reality, voice commerce, or internet of things, one category showed up as something 33% of respondents were already using and 29% were considering for more investment. That was artificial intelligence.

An ecommerce platforms comparison by pricing, features and more

The 2024 Ecommerce Platforms Report also digs into which platforms the top online retailers in North America are using. That includes numbers for annual web-based sales and clients on our Top 1000 list. But it also includes an ecommerce platforms comparison with information on pricing, niches served, and volumes of sales flowing through each via their customers on the Top 1000 list. In addition, each platform profile breaks down current and upcoming features that Adobe, Salesforce, Shopify, Oracle and others are deploying.

Ecommerce platform use cases and a guide to choosing the best fit

Among the trends seen in these profiles, a majority of platforms in the top 10 are rolling out new AI-enabled enhancements. These cater to use cases in search, inventory management, customer service and other areas. The report goes a step further, though, and delves into who’s getting it right and which uses for AI retailers find more useful. Then it delivers a handy walkthrough with tips for any online retailer trying to choose an ecommerce platform in today’s environment.

All of these details and more can be found in the full, downloadable 2024 Ecommerce Platforms Report, available now.

Do you rank in our database?

Submit your data with this quick survey and we’ll see where you fit in our next ranking update.

Sign up

Stay on top of the latest developments in the ecommerce industry. Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 Retail News. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Be the first to know when Digital Commerce 360 publishes news content.

The post What online retailers value when making an ecommerce platforms comparison appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

This report provides a unique look into the latest trends and expert tips for overcoming significant challenges and provides a clear vision of what lies ahead for B2B ecommerce. We analyze the growth drivers, digital buyer expectations, new digital technologies such as AI and automation – and other trends shaping the future of this $2 trillion market. 

We’ll provide answers to your top B2B customer experience questions, including how to effectively measure B2B CX. 

WHAT YOU’LL FIND IN THE 2024 B2B MARKET AND CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE REPORT  

• 2024 forecasts: B2B ecommerce to reach $2+ trillion 
• First-ever look at ecommerce penetration in select vertical markets 
• Detailed data on digital omnichannel B2B buyer expectations 
• B2B ecommerce expansion broken out by sales  
• Marketplace growth rates 
• Analysis of how digital technologies such as AI and connected commerce are changing the face of U.S. business 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

20+ Data-Packed Charts

Start visualizing the future of B2B ecommerce and share critical data with your colleagues and clients.  

The post 2024 B2B Market and Customer Experience Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

The all-new, groundbreaking 2024 State of American Ecommerce Report reveals how the leading U.S.-based online retailers are currently performing in ecommerce and what is expected through 2025. This report is the most comprehensive look at the biggest retailers in ecommerce by industry. Ecommerce sales in the third quarter of 2023 alone accounted for 15.6 percent of total sales. This Report projects future growth in 14 key retail categories. 

Digital Commerce 360 ranks the top 2000 online retail companies by web sales in North America annually. Notably, 1,856 are U.S.-based. For the first time, the Digital Commerce 360 research team reports ecommerce by industry, forecasting through 2025. We’ve analyzed these U.S.-based retailers for overall performance, market share, and shopper demographics. We’ve determined the leaders in each category, such as apparel & accessories, food & beverage, sporting goods, home improvement, and more.  

WHAT YOU’LL FIND IN THIS REPORT ON THE STATE OF U.S. ECOMMERCE:  

• U.S.-based ecommerce projections through 2025 
• Historical web sales data on total U.S.-based ecommerce since 2017 
• Historical and projected web sales of 14 online shopping categories 
• Shopper demographics of 14 online shopping categories 
• Pre-and-post pandemic web sales performance in each category 
• Top 5 online retailers in each category 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

WHY YOU NEED THIS REPORT  

Retailers want to know what the future of ecommerce will look like in the next few years to stay ahead of the curve and improve customer experience. They need to determine which top ecommerce statistics will apply to them in 2024 to adapt their business and thrive in the years ahead. The 2024 State of American Ecommerce will help retailers:

• Benchmark your growth vs your retail category overall 
• Discover what Digital Commerce 360 projects for growth in your category 
• Learn about your online category leaders and competition  
• Identify your intended audience by category and examine shopper demographics based on gender and age  

Technology providers, consultants, and financial companies utilize forecasting to determine future trends and changes in ecommerce. This Report provides new detail and analysis on:  

• The fastest-growing industries in ecommerce 
• Who are the leaders in each online category 
• Industry benchmarking data with historical and projected web sales for each of the 14 online shopping categories 

90+ Data-Packed Charts   

The post 2024 State of American Ecommerce Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

According to new Digital Commerce 360 research, 63% of retailers plan to increase spending on technology and services in 2024. They’re prioritizing conversion and customer experience in the new year, because finding new customers and retaining existing customers are the name of the game. 

Explore Digital Commerce 360’s latest ecommerce trends and investing analysis in our newest 2024 Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 Retailers Report where we review the top 10 vendors across 24 ecommerce categories including Customer Relationship Management, Ecommerce Platforms, Fulfillment Services, Marketing Automation Platforms, and more.  

Technology Providers – This intelligence is for you. Start evaluating your competitors’ plans to find new customers and clients to keep your business growing.

View the table of contents for full details on what’s included in the report.   

Published November 2023

WHAT’S INCLUDED 

The Top 10 Leading Vendors in 24 Ecommerce Categories   

Featured categories include Affiliate Marketing, Content Delivery Network, Content Management Systems, Customer Relationship Management, Ecommerce Platform, Fulfillment Services, Order Management, Payment Processing, Shipping Carrier, Social Media Marketing, Web Hosting/Cloud Services, Website Performance 

Extensive Analysis on Trends in Retailer Investments  

Read through real-life case studies and interviews with large and small retailers alike, including Colgate-Palmolive, Stanley Black & Decker, J. Jill. Walgreen’s, Beekman 1802, UrbanStems, and Polywood who are investing in the future of ecommerce technology and services.  

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT 

Digital Commerce 360’s Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 Retailers Report is a valuable tool for anyone looking to understand—and profit from—the ecommerce technology landscape.   

OTHER REPORTS YOU MAY LIKE 

Top 1000 Report

Analyzing North America’s leading online retailers, ranked 1-1,000 by web sales 

Top 1000 Database

Rankings by web sales and performance data on North America’s leading 1,000 online retailers 

Ecommerce Platforms Report

Analysis of the top ecommerce platforms and the retailers that use them 

The post 2024 Leading Vendors to the Top 1000 Retailers Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

There’s never been a digital phenomenon that’s changed the course of B2B ecommerce faster than B2B marketplaces. In just three short years and driven by the demand from growing numbers of digital-first buyers, B2B marketplaces have morphed from a minor business sales channel to mainstream B2B digital commerce.

Five years ago, Digital Commerce 360 counted just 75 B2B marketplaces. Now, that number is 500 and projected to reach 750 as soon as 2025. Sales on B2B marketplaces are growing annually nearly six times faster than all B2B ecommerce sales.

As B2B ecommerce continues to accelerate, manufacturers and distributors (and the technology vendors that serve them) must find new digital opportunities and solutions to overcome challenges in the market. To succeed, they are flocking to B2B marketplaces.

Digital Commerce 360’s 2023 B2B Marketplace 500 Report is the ultimate guide to understanding B2B marketplaces’ influential role in U.S. manufacturing and distribution today.

This report provides exclusive insights and data analysis on the factors driving the rapid growth of B2B marketplaces, the most popular sales channel in business digital commerce. It also explains why business buyers and sellers are increasingly flocking to these platforms.

View the table of contents for full details on what is included in the report.

Published September 2023

 

WHAT’S INCLUDED

NEW for 2023! Link to a downloadable excel spreadsheet that lists the Top 500 B2B Marketplaces in alpha order. Includes company name, marketplace industry and URL.

Explore the leading 500 U.S. B2B online marketplaces, categorized by industry, including agriculture, apparel, aviation, business software, consumer products, electronics, financial services, healthcare, labor, logistics, real estate, wholesale and more.

Here’s a sample of the category data:

20+ Data-Packed Charts

Visualize the powerful role B2B marketplaces plays in business today and share critical data with your colleagues and clients.

 

 

 

Executive Summary of U.S. B2B Marketplaces

Today, buyer behavior has changed the course of B2B marketplace development — and accelerated its evolution.

Industry Marketplaces

B2B marketplaces are a thriving and rapidly expanding industry, but three marketplaces account for the majority of sales volume: Amazon Business, Alibaba, and eBay

 

B2B Marketplace Case Studies

Learn how to overcome challenges from successful B2B marketplaces, including Freightos, Parts Tech, Labviva and Leaflink.

The post 2023 B2B Marketplace 500 Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

In response, retailers are taking action and building up their fulfillment networks. Amazon announced plans to double its same-day delivery facilities. Target, meanwhile, is investing $100 million in supply chain expansion, including new sortation centers to gather and ship orders from dozens of nearby stores.

The 2023 Ecommerce Fulfillment Report analyzes how retailers are navigating a variety of fulfillment vendors and changing consumer expectations. Here are some of the key trends that we cover:

• The rise of 3PLs and 4PLs
• Consumer demand for faster, free shipping
• Growth of omnichannel fulfillment
• Focus on sustainability

View the table of contents for full details on what’s included in the report.

Published August 2023

WHAT’S INCLUDED

• Exclusive consumer survey results reveal what customers value most, their evolving shopping habits and ever-changing expectations
• 20+ charts and graphs detailing fulfillment, consumer shopping behavior and more
• Expert analysis on top U.S. shipping carriers and how their finances impact retailers
• Breakdowns of shipping, returns, and omnichannel offerings among retailers in the Top 1000

Extensive Retail Market Overview
Read our major findings on ecommerce fulfillment today, including:

• Although consumers prefer free shipping, our survey results indicate that it is not necessarily a deal breaker
• Despite lower volumes, shipping carriers managed to grow their revenue in 2022 by raising prices
• Carriers generated a total of $198 billion in revenue in 2022, an increase of 6.5% over 2021

20+ Data-Packed Charts
Start visualizing the power of strategies and trends in ecommerce fulfillment and share critical data with your colleagues and clients.

Online Shopper Survey Results & Consumer Insights
Digital Commerce 360 surveyed 1,017 online shoppers regarding their shipping experiences, expectations, behavior, and how environmental concerns are playing into their choices.
Here’s a sample of our results:

Shopper comfort level with non-traditional delivery experiences fluctuates, though package receptacles in front of the house still see the greatest acceptance.
Here’s a sample:

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT
Digital Commerce 360’s Ecommerce Fulfillment Report is essential for retailers seeking to adapt and excel in a “new normal” characterized by supply chain disruptions, inflation, and balancing consumer demand with escalating costs.
With significant changes still ahead, our dependable data and comprehensive analysis helps ensure your fulfillment stays aligned with your business needs by leveraging our insights and making essential adjustments.

OTHER REPORTS YOU MAY LIKE

Top 1000 Report
Analyzing North America’s leading online retailers, ranked 1-1,000 by web sales

Omnichannel Report
Analyzing omnichannel trends in today’s evolving retail world

How to Improve Conversion Rates Report
Analyzing retailers’ strategies and investments to increase conversion rates

The post 2023 Ecommerce Fulfillment Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Online marketplaces continue to offer significant opportunities for business growth and expansion.

As a $3.2 trillion (and growing) industry, digital marketplaces have become a hub for retailers, brands, technology providers and more to tap into a wide-ranging customer base and save on overhead costs.

But online marketplaces are daunting, and many businesses are left wondering: where do we start? How do we sell on marketplaces? And what are the benefits? 

Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Report has everything you need to learn the ins and outs of digital marketplaces—and how to leverage benefits like:

• Expand your customer base beyond your existing audience
• Increase sales by utilizing existing infrastructure, payment tools, etc.
• Sell products more quickly and cost-effectively by eliminating the need to set up and maintain a dedicated ecommerce website
• Gain valuable data and analytics into customer behavior, product performance and market trends
• Streamline order management and gain more time to focus on product development and customer satisfaction

View the table of contents for full details on what’s included in the report. 

Published July 2023

 

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Ranking of the 2023 Top 100 Global Online Marketplaces, by 2022 Third-Party GMV

 

Executive Overview & Marketplace Analysis

Read through our findings on the following topics:  

• Breakout sections on niche and hybrid marketplaces
• The movers and shakers: global online marketplaces, U.S. marketplaces and Wish.com
• Marketplace participation by merchant type and category

30+ Data-Packed Charts

Visualize the power of the Top 100 online marketplaces in over 30 charts and graphs, covering topics like:   

• Share of Top 1000 retailers selling on marketplaces by merchant type and category 
• Fastest growing global, Russian and U.S. marketplaces 
• Buying behavior and perceptions 
• Total and third-party GMV for the Top 100 niche marketplaces 

Here’s a sample from the report:

 

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT

Digital Commerce 360’s Global Online Marketplaces Report is the most thorough analysis of ecommerce marketplaces available anywhere on the market. 

This report is the industry’s best tool for retailers and technology providers to learn the ins and outs of operating on digital marketplaces and how to leverage significant benefits. 

 

RELATED PRODUCTS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Global Online Marketplaces Database 

Leading 100 global online marketplaces ranked by annual third-party GMV 

B2B Marketplace 400 Report  

Analysis of the leading U.S. B2B ecommerce marketplaces 

Top 1000 Report 

Analysis of North America’s leading 1,000 online retailers 

Top 1000 Database     

North America’s leading 1,000 online retailers, ranked by annual web sales 

The post 2023 Global Online Marketplaces Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Packed with over 200 charts, benchmarking data and growth analyses, this report covers every inch of the pre- and post-pandemic ecommerce landscape and answers the most-asked questions across the industry, like: 

• The Top 1000 added $75 billion in incremental revenue in 2022. What are the implications for retailers? 
• How has ecommerce penetration changed coming out of the pandemic? 
• What are the 5 key predictions for online retail moving forward? 
• How has inflation affected conversion rates and AOVs? 
• BOPIS v curbside pickup: which is the winner?
• Are mobile apps the key to higher sales?
• Why is growth slowing for digitally native brands?
• Is Buy Now, Pay Later worth the risk? 

With over 20 years of experience under our belt, only Digital Commerce 360 can deliver the high-quality intelligence and exclusive insights included in this report.  

Find out why the Top 1000 – our flagship product and all-time bestselling report – continues to be the most trusted source of ecommerce research by businesses around the world.  

View the table of contents for full details on what’s included in the report.  

Published June 2023

WHAT’S INCLUDED 

Rankings, Benchmarks and Category Data  

In addition to a full ranking of the Top 1000 online retailers by 2022 web sales, this report includes: 

• Category data snapshots on the 14 key merchant categories of the Top 1000  
• Fastest-growing retailers by merchant type/merchandise category 
• Benchmark data, including conversion rates, AOVs, shipping, omnichannel, mobile, payments, web features and many more 

Here’s a sample of the Jewelry category data:

Executive Overview & Growth Analysis   

Read through our major findings on how the three-year pandemic period has affected the Top 1000. Topics include:   

• 10 key insights from the Top 1000 
• Bankruptcies, acquisitions and funding  
• Inflation and supply chain worries 
• 5 predictions for online retail 
• How retailers are adapting to shoppers’ changing needs 

200+ Data-Packed Charts    

Visualize the power of the Top 1000 and trends in North American ecommerce in over 200 charts and graphs, covering topics like:   

• Amazon vs. Top 1000 pandemic-era growth
• Top 10 payment methods offered by the Top 1000 in 2022
• Acquisitions involving Top 1000 retailers since 2022 
• Top 1000 retailers that offer free shipping options 

Here’s a sample from the report:  

WHY YOU SHOULD BUY IT 

Digital Commerce 360’s Top 1000 Report is the most thorough analysis of U.S. ecommerce available anywhere on the market. 

This report is a must-have resource for retailers, investors and service providers looking to grow a robust online business and succeed in today’s transforming retail world. 

OTHER CONTENT YOU MAY LIKE 

Top 1000 Database     

North America’s leading 1,000 online retailers, ranked by annual web sales 

Top 500 Database  

North America’s leading 500 online retailers, ranked by annual web sales 

Next 1000 Database 

North America’s online retailers ranked 1,001-2,000 by annual web sales 

U.S. Ecommerce Market Report 

Analysis of the U.S. online retail data and performance over the past year 

The post 2023 Top 1000 Report appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

Digital marketing budgets are wide-ranging with surveyed retailers breaking out their percentage of overall marketing dedicated to digital as follows:

• 1-10% of marketing: 21%
• 11-50%: 25%
• >50%: 46%
• None: 8%

Digital continues to see greater traction, as 59% of retailers have increased their digital marketing budgets for 2023. Meanwhile, 27% of retailers said their digital marketing budget is unchanged and just 14% have decreased it. Digging into the numbers among those who projected increases, 14% of retailers said the digital marketing budget will grow 21% or more. At the same time, 33% said a 10-20% increase. The remaining 12% expect a limited budget increase of just 1-5%.

Retailers employ a myriad digital marketing techniques

As part of their digital marketing strategies, six in 10 retailers employ email, content and search marketing, along with paid search and Facebook. Other tactics that at least half of respondents used were social-media minded. They including Facebook (62%), Instagram (52%), YouTube (52%) and TikTok (30%).

Just under half (47%) also employed other influencer marketing and social media. Affiliate marketing rounded out the list of tactics (51%). Other advertising that deserves an honorable mention, include mobile ads at 44% and Amazon ads at 41%, while marketplace ads came in at 36%. It was insightful to see SMS/text messaging on the list for 38%. Connected TV also made the cut for just 20%.

Varying budgets for marketing tactics

Retailers dedicate the most budget to email, paid search, content and search engine marketing.

Now that we know what tactics are in play, we looked to understand what percentage of retailers’ marketing budgets each of the tactics represented. From a budget standpoint, email and paid search were nearly tied for the No. 1 position when it came to spending 11% of their budget or more. Next in line were content marketing at 35% and search engine at 33%.

The most effective marketing tactics: email, paid search engine and content marketing

What matters most in the end is not the budget but the effectiveness and the results. In looking at the findings, the top four for effectiveness are in line with budgets, with email (61%), paid search (55%), search engine marketing (53%) and content marketing (49%). There is a significant drop then to affiliate marketing (32%), Facebook (32%), Instagram (27%) and YouTube at 24%.

Almost six in 10 retailers spend over 30% of their marketing budget on customer acquisition

One question is how they are spending these dollars. It is interesting to see that 42% are spending more than half of their budget on customizer acquisition. With 28% spending in the 21-50% range, investments are certainly forthcoming. Only one in three are spending 20% or less, so most of these retailers believe new customers are worth the investment.

The top tactics for acquiring new customers are paid search, email, search and content marketing. The survey results suggest that their most successful marketing tactics mirror the effectiveness mentioned above. Fifty-six percent of retailers said paid search was within their top three effective marketing channels while email came in at 49% and search engine the third most important acquisition tactic at 38%. The others were as follows:

• Content marketing: 37%
• Amazon ads: 23%
• Affiliate marketing: 20%
• Facebook: 15%
• Marketplace ads other than Amazon: 13%

Socially conscious

We turn our attention to social media as there is an abundance of discussion in this area. Over half of retailers use social media advertising to drive sales and increase brand awareness. When it comes to social media advertising goals, driving sales and increasing brand awareness top the list. Retailers also highly rank driving traffic and audience growth as goals.

From an ROI perspective, most social networks are only somewhat successful or not successful at all.

Facebook and Instagram successfully deliver ROI for four in 10 online retailers. YouTube and LinkedIn appear to be close behind with the others only successful for less than one in five retailers surveyed.

Retailers take different paths to optimize social media. Most seem to have one internal person (49%), while 24% have multiple people involved. Just 28% rely on agencies, which may not be mutually exclusive of individuals working internally. 23% of retailers report it is difficult to quantify the results of their social media program. 22% find the changing nature means always being in catch-up mode. Surprisingly, only 12% rely on technology to drive programs.

The biggest influence

The influencer’s role is multi-faceted, but its impact and use are under scrutiny from online retailers. And that’s because the impact is certainly a work in progress. The following fit-related findings suggest it can be challenging for retailers to get this right.

• 32% of retailers said they are spending time to understand if my businesses should use influencers and how.
• 26% said it’s hard to find influencers who would be a good fit.
• 22% said influencers are not a good fit for our company.

From an awareness perspective, 27% said influencers are for building brand awareness. Meanwhile, 14% use them to drive traffic to the website.

General reflections from a financial perspective suggest that when it comes to influencers, 22% find it interesting but do not see the desired ROI. 19% are concerned influencers might be too expensive, and just 12% believe they help generate sales.

Finding the right platform for you

Retailers use multiple platforms to support marketing efforts. That starts with 73% leveraging analytics and data visualization. Other platforms that almost half of retailers use include email marketing software, content management tools, marketing automation software and customer relationship management.

58% of retailers plan to or will have AI in place this year or beyond to enhance their marketing. Ironically, only 15% believe they are employing it effectively, and 5% say it is not meeting expectations. It will be interesting to see its impact on marketing and many other aspects of ecommerce.

Retailers are also challenged when it comes to analyzing their marketing performance data and attribution. Our survey data finds retailers are mixed in their ability to analyze marketing data and attribution. 65% give themselves an above average rank (6-10) at how effective they are at marketing attribution and the remaining 35% rank themselves as average or below (1-5). This is certainly an area that warrants marketers’ attention.

But at what cost?

Costs and profitability are the biggest challenges retailers cite from a marketing perspective. While the challenges are many, it is optimistic to see that just one in three retailers face the remaining issues.

That includes figuring out which digital tactics best serve cross-channel needs and pinpointing how marketing directly impacts conversion. 26% rank changing algorithms as a challenge, and the same portion of retailers rank effectively analyze data/marketing campaigns as a challenge.

Because of third-party data restrictions, one in three online retailers are looking for ways to encourage email sign-ups. With the challenges in this area, 28% have made first-party data a higher priority. 21% acknowledge they are still assessing the best way to address these issues.  We surveyed retailers on other challenges, but the remaining fell to 16% or less penetration.

Other ways to advertise

Retail media networks are not a significant factor for surveyed retailers. Only 10% report having a retail media network where they accept advertising, while 15% advertise on other retail networks. Three in four of those surveyed do neither of these.

Retailers employ a range of strategies regarding values-based marketing, but many don’t embrace it. 34% indicate they have no strategy. For those who are using such strategies, 27% do so in social media efforts, 26% integrate into their ecommerce experience and 26% communicate as events warrant. Others who expect sustainability to be on the horizon see 16% testing to see how it resonates and 7% are building out a caused-based strategy for 2023 deployment.

Year-over-year changes

Lastly, we would like to look at how retailers expect their digital ad spending to change year over year. 70% of retailers forecast their digital ad spending will increase next year while 20% predict it will be unchanged and 10% forecast a decrease.

Retailers grow their digital marketing budgets using more tactics than ever. Email, paid search, content and search engine marketing do the heavy lifting. Social media and influencers are making inroads, but  their ability to deliver results is mixed. The influencer and AI impact has yet to be written. There is still work to do in marketing and optimizing the business in 2023 and beyond to ensure profitable marketing initiatives are in place.

Do you rank in our database?

Submit your data with this quick survey and we’ll see where you fit in our next ranking update.

Sign up

Stay on top of the latest developments in the ecommerce industry. Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 Retail News.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Be the first to know when Digital Commerce 360 publishes news content.

The post The Retailer Speaks: Online retailers refine digital marketing strategies in 2023 appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.

A myriad of marketing efforts influence online shoppers in their buying behavior, with email still a driving force. When asked which efforts are influential, 43% of survey respondents said emails suggesting that items previously viewed are now on sale were most influential. It’s instructive that even general emails wielded influence among 39%, especially given the volume of emails we all receive. Others that also saw traction were back-in-stock emails (24%), items left in one’s cart (20%) and offers within order and shipping confirmation emails (13%).

Digital marketing channels with the most influence

Social media had a significant pull for 36% of participants, while advertising on social media also captured the attention for 27%. Ironically, influencers were less likely to drive a purchase and were only influential among 14% of respondents.

It certainly was a positive that more traditional marketing such as catalogs and other printed material were influential among 24% while the physical store or mall-based advertising were a factor in driving purchasing among 26%.

Marketers who try to optimize membership/loyalty programs are influential in driving conversion for 22% of surveyed online shoppers.

It’s exciting to see that text messaging is also making an impact from a marketing perspective as suggested by 21% of online shoppers.

The role of online advertising seems to be least influential on shopper buying behavior with advertising on search engines (16%), content visited online (14%) and retargeting that follows shoppers after viewing products online (10%).

Looking at email specifically shows why it remains a strong part of the retailer marketing arsenal. Half of shoppers open email advertising at least daily, while 25% view at least a few times a week, 9% weekly and 6% monthly.

Moving beyond simply opening the emails, one in three online shoppers purchases at least weekly based on the reading of their email. 16% even doing so daily or more. Beyond that active segment, 20% purchase weekly/few times a week, 23% monthly and the remaining 32% a few times a year. Just 9% indicated they never purchase as a result of an email.

Promotion-driven emails and order-related communication see highest open rates

When asked to identify their top-three most likely to open retailer email types, messages about promotions and discounts rise to the top as half of online shoppers say they open them. Those that provide communication also have high open rates and include the following confirmations: shipping (40%), order (38%) and delivery (32%). Others that saw interest include offers tied to loyalty programs (31%), free shipping messages (30%) and new product communiques (23%). Beyond these, back-in-stock emails saw traction among 17%, and seasonal activities came in at 15%. Meanwhile, requests to review purchased products at 14% and replenishment at 9% were of lesser interest. Email remains an important vehicle to market and inform.

A look into advertising seen when shopping in marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay revealed that this sponsored advertising influenced online buying all or most of the time for 35% of online shoppers, some of the time for 37% and rarely or never for 28%. It can be challenging for retailers to make their presence felt in these marketplaces but opportunistic for sellers at the same time.

Facebook is the social channel most likely to lead to an online purchase

Looking at six social channels and how they ranked from a top-two perspective in leading to online purchasing is instructive.

• Facebook: 58%
• YouTube: 45%
• Instagram: 40%
• Pinterest: 27%
• TikTok: 21%
• Snapchat: 10%

These findings suggest that Facebook, YouTube and Instagram may provide the best “commerce-related” digital marketing opportunities.

Over half of online shoppers are comfortable purchasing within a social media app or platform, which bodes well for digital marketing growth as well. The comfort numbers are as follows:

• Comfortable: 57%
• Not at all comfortable: 8%
• Prefer purchasing direct from retailer sites: 18%
• Don’t use social media for shopping: 17%

The majority of online shoppers don’t purchase from influencers (55%). And one in four will purchase directly from influencer content on the retailer’s website. Just 19% say they purchase through the influencer’s Linktree, suggesting its more limited role.

For those who use social media, discovery and appealing promotions top the list of why they shop via these platforms. 38% of online shoppers see social media as a new way to find products. 26% say they can try new brands and products, while 22% say they value influencers.

Not surprisingly, there is a convenience factor. 36% are already using social media regularly, making it naturally convenient. And 24% find themselves prompted by social media platforms, so they stay top-of-mind. Only 4% say they don’t shop via social media.

Retail media networks are increasingly accepting ads from a variety of brands and outside retailers. When survey respondents were asked about their interactions, three in four online shoppers either sometimes notice competitor advertising on retail media networks with no impact for the majority. Beyond the 24% who don’t pay attention at all, the findings were as follows:

Always look: 21%

• Sometimes impacts shopping: 11%
• Doesn’t impact shopping: 10%

Sometimes notice: 55%

• May impact shopping: 28%
• Doesn’t impact shopping: 27%

The customer will dictate how, where and when they will be susceptible to marketing. The bottom line is that the many possibilities for retailers to effectively market means vigilance, attention to planning and analyzing the results — with change the only constant.

Sign up

Stay on top of the latest developments in the ecommerce industry. Sign up for a complimentary subscription to Digital Commerce 360 Retail News.

Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Be the first to know when Digital Commerce 360 publishes news content.

The post Shoppers force retailers to face ever-changing digital marketing dynamics appeared first on Digital Commerce 360.